I purchased a Kenmore glass flat top stove about a year ago & have had various suggestions on whether to use or not to use cast-iron skillets on it. The following is what I have "heard" (not proven!):At first the manufacturer said "do not use" after calling them. Just called recently & they said "it's OK" but you must have a very smooth bottom on it (no ridges) plus no crusty build-up from age. There is nothing better than cast-iron for certain things but I am very leery of using it until I hear from someone that has. Probably buying a new one is best but hate to have to re-season one again.Sure hope someone has a "proven" answer. Many thanks!

Weedigger, I got a G.E. ceramic top stove 2 years ago and poured over all the literature (I'm one of the few people who actually read all the fine print before using anything... :-)]. Anyway I honestly don't remember reading anyhting about NOT using a cast iron skillet....other things, yes....It may have been there, but I certainly don't remember seeing it. At any rate, I use my skillet all the time and have had no problems, even using it for deep frying AND my skillet is over 50 years old with a wonderful lumpy coating of who-knows-what! In all honesty, I think they're afraid you'll scratch the top of the stove with the "lumps".I think it's because people tend to slide pots off the burners rather than lifting them to another spot and that COULD scratch the surface. I treat my stovetop with care and common sense and it's in as good a shape as the day it went in. A well-seasoned cast iron skillet is too prescious an item to give up for modern conveniences! Go ahead and use it!

Oh Cookiejar-Fl, you are a lifesaver! Your detailed info. was just what I wanted. Like yours, mine is 50 years old & shows it! I can now use my old cooking methods without fear. Thanks you soooo much!(PS: I'm in Florida also)

And Patty 613, your scouring idea has been done MANY times....my muscles gave out!

I bought a whirlpool solid surface stove a couple years ago (gosh, I guess it's been about 7 years ago now). In making the sale the salesman pulled out his keys and proceeded to demonstate how scratch proof this thing was. Well, he sold me and I never even gave a thought to Not using cast iron. That's all I used for years and I used them, without scouring or anything else with no problems. I also used the canner on that stove as well as my great big stock pot I used to use for making home brew. I do know you want to check with the manufacturer (or read the fine print) before you put something really heavy like a canner on there. Hope this helps.

I redid my kitchen a little over a year & a half ago. All new appliances. I was thinking about the smooth top & investigated it through several appliance and department stores. They all told me that I could not use the cast iron, that it would scratch. I was not going to give up my cast iron...so it takes me a little longer to clean my "other choice stove"

I know that the skillet should have a smooth bottom. I can suggest you the one in this post:http://www.castiron-cookette.com/?p=70. I also read the comments on Amazon.com. Many people say they use it on glass top and it doesn't scratch the top. It can be helpful.

I've had a glass cooktop for 11 years and just got a cast iron skillet for Christmas. I've used it a few times with care and so far so good. Glad ya'll have mentioned about the canning. I would like to do some of that but will think twice since I have the glasstop. Maybe just go to my Moms. Hers is the coil burner style.

I also have a glass flat top stove, along with my grandmother's cast iron skillets. The salesman warned me against using cast iron, but I was not going to give up on my skillets. I take care not to slide them, but lift them. My stove is almost 8 years old now and I don't have one scratch on it. Use your cast iron skillets with joy, but with care.

As many times as I have seen the subject brought up in KC I also don't get it.

I don't even like electric stoves, I'd rather cook on a wood/coal stove but since there is no firewood in sw North Dakota I opt for gas. That is what I started on when I first came to Alaskafrom Germany in 58 . Right away I started to pick up cast iron (Griswold,Wagnerware and Favorite) from as far back as the late 1800s to the early 1900s at auctions and yard sales and got it for a song back then.

Only once did I have to cook on an electric stove after we moved to WA 8 yrs later. It was a 1962 40" two oven with wide commercial type coils. A beautiful stove but I could not get the pressure regualted in a pressure canner . Had to stand there all the time and switch from simmer to medium because simmer was not hot enough and medium was too hot. From then on I went back to gas.

Bought a new gas range 8 yrs ago and made sure it had very heavy duty grates. After the pressure comes up to where it is supposed to be ittakes only 2 or 3 small adjustment in about 4 minutes and then I can leave until the time is up, even if it takes over an hour for meat to be canned.

Well, to some folks a glass tops may look pretty and they are supposed to be easy to clean. But if I would have to be so careful about not sliding a pot/pan/skillet on it it would not be for me because some times you have to shake a pan/skillet. If I have to worry about it doing damage every timeI I would shake or slide a pan or skkillet would not enjoy cooking at all.

Doctor says every once and a while I should think about going into assisted living but I'll stay in my own house until they have to drag me out. In assisted living the have tiny kitchenettes and ELECTRIC ranges I want to stay away from as long as possible. My gas range is not hard to clean, much easier than a coil burner electric and glass would be too sissy for me, I don't want to waste time worrying about tiny scartches or not being able to slide a pan whn it is necessary. But that is just me....... and my humble opinion.

I've had a glasstop since 1998 and absolutely love it!! I use all the pans I used before and my canner and pressure cooker work absolutely great on it. It's great to have a smooth top and would never have gas. Just toooooooo dangerous. I've had friends who have suffered severe burns when something went wrong. Would NEVER consider gas with children in the house!!